Hours

Address

Phone

(740)743-1326

Scott Snider, Manager

A thought from Betty

"Many people have asked why Clay Haus was named as such. I named the restaurant after my father, Irwin
Clay Priest; Haus is a Pennsylvania Dutch word. My husband is Pennsylvania Dutch, thus the Clay Haus."

"The restaurant is a structure built from 1812 to 1820. It is similar to houses one would find in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania around the early 1800's. The Pennsylvania Dutch people settled Somerset
(Middletown) in 1808. They traveled by covered wagon down the Zane Trace Trail (Route 22).
Somerset probably began as a stopping point between Zanesville and Lancaster for travelers.
The town grew rapidly and became the county seat for a time. Clay Haus is located on the Zane Trace
highway. Looking out the window well in the front of the Clay Haus, one can see that the street was
probably four feet lower when this house was built. Here one entered the keeping room. In this room,
George Jackson (owner of the Clay Haus) dined with his cousin President Andrew Jackson. They feasted on
wild game purchased at Pig Foot Square, just one block west. Henry Clay, a noted statesman, visited here
on his way to the Breech bill Hotel (Somerset Pharmacy) just two doors east. Other owners of the Clay Haus
were Dr. Jesse Morris, Frederick Mains (tinsmith), and William Jackson (Civil War veteran, noted for his
fife playing in the Memorial Day parade). General Phillip Sheridan also called Somerset his home. On the
north side of the street opposite Clay Haus three doors east, Phil worked as a clerk in a dry goods store
when he was a boy."

"Take a moment as you sit by our hearth to let your mind wander back to pioneer days. To the days of a
little Pennsylvania Dutch village nestled in the wilderness. You may hear it; the past reaching out to the
future."